Return to Ostagar
by AceOfGrins
Summary: Cousland, Alistair, Wynne & Zevran return to the forgotten fort where King Cailan, Duncan and many others perished. Follows story of quest in game, with my own twist on certain events.


**NOTE: I DO NOT OWN DRAGON AGE OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS**

**This is just a short little story based on the quest, Return to Ostagar. In this version, I used my own Warden from my game, Clarissa Cousland, who is a rogue. Here she is travelling with The Heir, The Mage and The Assassin. (Yeah that's my names for them) You might recognise some of the dialogue from the game. It starts with the group approaching the site of King Cailan's demise...**

* * *

They were close. They were almost at Ostagar. Clarissa had promised Alistair that if they had the chance to return to the fort, then she would take him with her. Wynne had also requested to come along since the place held memories for her too. Clarissa chose Morrigan initially to accompany them, thinking she would also want to revisit the site, but Morrigan refused to go since it was so close to Flemeth's home. Zevran offered to take Morrigan's place, and so the party had set off three days earlier on their journey to Ostagar. Clarissa decided it might be dangerous to move the entire camp, so they made their way on foot sharing a horse between them, from the camp in the Dalish Forest.

"Can you smell that?" Alistair called out to his companions. He and Clarissa were walking ahead, and Zevran was walking alongside the horse that Wynne rode on.

"Fire," Zevran said. "Fire and death."

Alistair exhaled sharply, his breath visible on the cold air. "I'm already regretting this." He said quietly to Clarissa.

Clarissa put her hand on his shoulder. "If you didn't come you would have regretted that later on. We may find Cailan's body."

Alistair nodded sadly. After a quiet moment he spoke again. "I believed him, you know. Cailan. That it would be a glorious battle, and we would win."

Clarissa sighed. Part of her had believed it too.

The entire place was covered in a thick white blanket. A short time later the entrance to the fort was just about visible, though quite camouflaged in the snow. Clarissa stopped when she felt something hard beneath her foot. Bending down to dig the snow away she uncovered a shield with a griffon on it. The symbol of the Grey Wardens. Alistair said nothing and marched on ahead quickly. Clarissa wondered how many bodies were strewn about beneath the snow they were walking through. She shuddered with both the cold and the thought of all the men and women who were left to horrible deaths thanks to Loghain's betrayal. Looking up at the huge gates leading into the fort, Clarissa saw thin pillars of smoke. _Darkspawn scavengers must still be in there_, she thought, _picking armour and weapons from the fallen soldiers. Perhaps even burning the soldiers._

Alistair was long since inside Ostagar when the other three got to the entrance. Wynne dismounted the horse and tied it up at the gates. Zevran left some of their provisions with the horse and gave it an apple to eat. They entered the fort. Clarissa felt like screaming when she saw what was once a great fort, fit for winning battles. Now it was nothing more than a deserted tomb. The only creatures still living were Darkspawn. She saw the compound where the hounds had been kept. She saw the platform where a Chantry sister had been giving a speech to followers of the Maker. The training spot for the soldiers and knights and Wardens. Looking around, Clarissa could almost see what it had been like when she was there. The main bridge had been cordoned off with many shields propped up to make a barricade. Clarissa looked went to where the two tents had once stood on either side of a walkway which led to the lookout point where the archers had stood; one tent had been Loghain's, the other was Cailan's. Alistair was kneeling where Cailan's tent had been.

"Ah, Ostagar." Zevran sighed yet with cheer in his tone. "I've never been that 'get between the armies' kind of guy." He chuckled but cleared his throat when Wynne shook her head at him.

"See what you can find." Clarissa told Wynne and Zevran. "But be careful."

The mage and the assassin went their separate ways, Wynne heading to where she had been camped and Zevran to explore the Mabari compound.

"This must have been Cailan's." Alistair said when he heard Clarissa approach him. He was kneeling in front of an ornate chest. He had brushed away the snow to reveal the Theirin family crest. Clarissa knelt beside Alistair in the snow and reached out to touch the lock on the front of the chest. "Would you like to bring it with us? Perhaps Loghain has the key." She suggested. Alistair frowned and leaned his head to the side, observing the manner of the lock. "I think...no it couldn't be." He mused, touching his chest with his gauntlet and holding onto something Clarissa hadn't seen before. Beneath his chest plate, there was a thing gold chain round Alistair's neck.

"What's that?" Clarissa asked.

"I'm not sure." Alistair admitted. He pulled the chain out from under his armour, and over his head to show Clarissa that it held a key. She knew instantly that it matched the pattern on the chest before them.

"Where did you-" Clarissa began in surprise.

Alistair shook his head in disbelief as he played with the key, turning it in his hands. "Duncan gave this to me, the night we arrived here and set up camp. He said to keep it safe but not to tell anyone about it. I tried to ask him what it was for and he simply said 'In case something goes wrong, you'll know what to do once you find the lock it is for'"

Clarissa saw Alistair's white face. She knew he was in shock, but she couldn't wait to see if his key was meant for Cailan's chest. She grabbed the key from Alistair and puched it to the lock, where it slid in perfectly. They glanced at each other then she turned it. Alistair lifted the lid of the chest open. Clarissa felt guilty all of a sudden, and stood up and moved away, saying "This isn't my place, I'm sorry. I shouldn't touch the King's belongings."

Alistair dismissed her comment and peered into the chest. There lay a blade Alistair recognised as one that had belonged to King Maric. It was a thick, heavy sword with a golden handle and bright gold symbols along the blade. Alistair ran his fingers along the steel tracing the symbols, right to the sharp point at the end and to the second item in the chest. Three letters, bound together with a blue ribbon. He untied the ribbon and read the letters. To Alistair's shock and fury, he discovered that the letters only further solidified their case that Loghain had betrayed the King. The first was a letter from Empress Celene of Orlais, stating that she was prepared to send her Orlesian armies to aid the forces of Ferelden at Cailan's word. _So it's true! He had convinced the forces of Orlais to ally against the Darkspawn! Loghain will pay for his treachery. _The second was from Arl Eamon of Redcliff, begging his nephew not to fight alongside the Grey Wardens in the upcoming battle, and also suggesting to Cailan that it may be time to set aside Anora for another bride, since Anora has not given Cailan an heir in the five years they have been married. _If only Cailan had heeded Eamon's warning. The foolish man walked right into his death. Poor King Cailan._The third was another letter from Empress Celene, implying that the King was awaiting a visit from her once the Darkspawn problem had been solved, and they were to discuss their plans to unite Ferelden and Orlais. _Another reason why Loghain would abandon Cailan to his fate; Cailan intended to pass over Loghain's daughter for another woman. An Orlesian at that! When everyone knows Loghain despises the Orlesians to his very core._

"Clarissa!" Alistair cried, scrambling to his feet quickly. He waved the letters about but before he had a chance to explain anything, Zevran shouted to the rest of the party.

"Darkspawn!" Zevran yelled, and Clarissa turned instantly to see him pulling out his two blades and hurl himself over the barricade, running across the main bridge.

Clarissa shot a glance at Alistair, who was stuffing the papers into his belt pouch. She then began sprinting to the bridge, following Zevran. Wynne hurried over to join the two rogues, and stood back when she saw the seven Darkspawn gemlocks drawing in. She aimed her staff at them and started to work her magic.

Not even realising what he was doing, wielded his own long sword and thrust it into the snow, then lifted Maric's blade from the chest and swung it about before him. Before he knew it, Alistair had united with Clarissa and Zevran and was plunging his father's sword into a gemlock.

"Die you bastards!" Zevran shouted, as he swept his twin daggers across the throats of two of the gemlocks. He saw Alistair's new weapon flying about in the corner of his eye. "Alistair that is one sexy sword and I must have it!" he called.

From behind the three of them, Clarissa heard Wynne's laughter. "How about we complete the task at hand, Zevran, before you attempt to steal what is rightfully Alistair's."

Zevran chuckled and somersaulted over the head of a gemlock and sliced its neck from behind.

Wiping blood from her face, Clarissa watched the final gemlock shaking with a fire spell Wynne had cast. She threw the Cousland blade sideways into its face and it tumbled to the ground.

Clarissa, Zevran and Wynne were catching their breath when Alistair bent down to one of the defeated gemlocks and yanked a golden helmet it was wearing. "Urgh! The bloody fiends have picked this off Cailan's body! We must find the rest of his armour! And the King himself!"

Clarissa watched him race off again over the bridge. Here he was not his usual cheery, sarcastic self. She could tell he was haunted by the surroundings and by the prospect of finding the King's remains. His brother's remains. She looked to Wynne, who gave her a knowing glance.

"What are we waiting for!" Zevran asked merrily, wiping his precious daggers as he proceeded to follow Alistair's path. Clarissa collected her own blade and marched on ahead, Wynne following closely behind. This was going to be a hard day.

* * *

**Like I said, short. Anyways I hope you like it. Feel free to R&R I would appreciate it. Please no nasty comments though please. If you don't have anything nice to say, then don't bother, kay? :)**


End file.
